Thomas Parker claims to have invented the first electric car in 1884. By 1071 the first gasline hybrid car was placed on the market by Woods Motor Vehicle in the USA. Since than soem inroad have been done on the development of viable electric cars, but are they really the greener option? It seems it depends on the way your electricity is sourced. If your electricity is produced by heaby reliance on fossil fuels, then sadly, electric cars are not greener than conventional ones according to Ea Energy Analyses who conducted a study on the CO2 emissions of personal vehicles on behalf of the Danish Petroleum Association. the study compared different engines fueled from petrol and diesel to hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars and concluded that CO2 emissions from hybrids and electric cars are similar, while diesel cars emit 8% more carbon. Overall, petrol cars are less efficient in their use of energy compared to diesel.
On the other hand, as quoted by the EuroActiv website, "an electric car cannot attain the same travel ranges or top speeds as conventional cars. An electric car that could cover a similar distance with one charge would in fact produce more CO2 emissions than diesel vehicles, as it is heavier and requires more energy".
Electric cars are also high on the EU political agenda assupport for greener transport has been growing. In an economic recovery package released last year, the EU earmarked €5 billion for its Green Car Initiative.
Credits
Photograph of electric car in Norway by Complexify.
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